Car-coupling



(No mam V "G. H. CONRAD 8a A. WINTER.

GAR GOUPLING.

' No. 498,625. Patented-May so, 1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. CONRAD AND ADAM WINTER, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 498,625, dated May 30, 1893.

Application filedMarch 27, 1893.: Serial No. 467,830. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, GEORGE H. CONRAD and ADAM WINTER, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefnl Improvements in Car-Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention has for its object to provide a simple, and effective coupler, in which the coupling can be automatically accomplished and the uncoupling done from the sides of the car.

It has also for its object to provide a coupler of few parts, easily assembled, of great stability and which can be also used in connection with the ordinary pin couplers.

To these ends our invention consists in the peculiar arrangement and combination of parts, all of which will hereinafter be first described in the specification and then particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which I Figure 1 is a top plan view of our improved coupler with the top plate removed. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same on the line 3-3 Fig. 1, and Fig.4 is a perspective view of one of the coupling hooks detached.

The improved car coupler comprises a draw head formed of a'bottom plate A, and a top plate B, preferably of the shape shown which are connected and held spaced apart by the bolts 0 O and the tubular cuff inembersD D, the rear ends of such plates being further connected by a king bolt E, to which is pivotally connected the draw bar F, which in the practical arrangement, may be provided with the usual buffer spring devices (not shown). The upper and lower plates are of exactly the same shape with the exception that the front end of the lower plate has an extension or coupling link B formed integral therewith the end of which is in the nature of a spear point B beveled at the front edge at b 1), whereby it will ride either above or below the opposing spear point, as the contact conditions may appear, and such point B has a longitudinal slot b whereby it can be joined with a drawhead having the usual link and pin coupling devices. About centrally the bottom plate has a longitudinal slot A through which explate A and the car and provided at each end with a lever handle Kva's shown. The upper or screw end 71. of the bolt H H enters a threaded socket in a slide block L which we term the dead block, it being held to slide back and forth on the plate A over the slot A. This dead block when the parts are in their coupled condition, assumes the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, its front end being at apoint slightly to the rear of the front bolts O which also form stops to limit the inward or coupling movement of the coupling hooks M M. A pair of these hooks M is mounted in such drawhead and each has at its front end aninturned barb or hook m and atits rear end an inturned finger m and such fingers m bear against the rear end of the side faces of the block L.

The hooks M are pivoted upon bolts N N disposed at a point midway the slot A and such hooks have at such pivotal points semicircular inwardly extending projections m which seat in concaved depressions L in the sides of the block which are of a length approximately equal the reciprocal thrust movement of such block, and the said block is guided in its movement at its front end between the projections "m while its rear end has a shank L held between two stud bolts Z Z as shown.

The upper plate B has its lower front edge beveled as at b to facilitate the entranceof an opposing spear head and avoids a thumping action.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings the advantages and complete operation of our improved car coupler will be readily understood. It will be seen that when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. l and an opposing spear head B is between the coupling arms M, its barb ends m will engage the base or barb ends of the head B and such arms are held to their locked position by the dead block L being in its rearmost position. Now when it is desired to uncouple, the lever Kis turned in the direction indicated by the arrow, which will rock the shaft J and causeits crank arm to pull the dead block L forward, and as such block is thus slid forward its curved portions L will engage the projections m and cause the arms M to swing with the front ends outward and consequently moving their rear fingers inward, back of the block L, and thereby leave a free passage for the withdrawal of the spear head link portion of the opposing car.

In coupling the arms M can be either thrown inward by a reverse movement of the lever, or it can be automatically efiected, as the upper or coupling spear head will engage the dead block, slide it rearward and as it passes back its curved shoulders L will engage the projections m and force the rear arms m open before the rear end of the block L can strike them.

By-beveling thefront ends of the spear heads as shown it is obvious that either one or the other will climb up toenterbetween the arms M of the opposing drawhead.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A car coupling comprisingabottom plate having an integral forwardly extending coupling member, atop plate, a pair of coupling arms pivoted between the upper and lower arms, their forward end having inwardly extending barbs or hook ends and abutting or projecting portions at their pivotal point, a I reciprocal slide block disposed between such. l arms, adapted to engage the said projections 5 on alternate sides, and means for operating the said slide block, from the sides of the car substantially as shown and described.

2. In a car coupling the combination with the bottom plate A, having a coupling hook at one end, the upper plateB, and thedraw bar F, of the pivoted arms M, having coupling barbs at their front end and inwardly project- ,ing lugs m at their pivot point, the block L means for reciprocation, of the bar L all substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a car coupler, the combination with the plate A having a spear head coupling member at its front end, anda longitudinal slot A, the slide bolt H, and the slide block Lhavingprojecting shoulders 1'; L and the crank shaft J connectedto the slide bolt H, and pro.- vi-ded with a lever or handle K, ofthepivoted coupling arms M, having inturned barbs m at their forward end, and inturned fingers m at their rear end, and formed with projections m on their inner face, adapted to be alternately engaged byv the projectionsI-PL on the block L, and the upper plate B. all arranged substantially as and for the purpose described.

GEORGE H. CONRAD. ADAM WINTER. Witnesses;

HENRY M. MAYER, F. P. SANDERS. 

